Fret size... What does it affect???

[YCBass]

Mods: If this belongs in Luthier's forum, please feel free to move it. Thanks.

Just curious on what the size of fretwire affrects on a bass? Is there a general idea of taller frets will ya da ya da and wider frets will ya da ya da.... etc.

Thanks!

 

[bassteban]

I can't be much more specific, but I've played larger & smaller frets & I prefer the smaller ones. I also tend to like very low action & light gauge strings, if that sheds any light.

 

[DanielleMuscato]

It's just personal preference. Some people say smaller frets give you better intonation, but intonation varies so widely from player to play, regardless of the bass, anyway... It depends on the frets some, but a lot of it is in your hands - how you dig in, vibrato, where you play in the fret spaces, etc. I think it really depends on how the frets are dressed (crown) more than the size of the fretwire. The height and width are two different things to consider, too.

Bending strings is slightly easier with bigger frets.

It's arguably easier to get lower action with smaller frets.

You are less likely to catch windings in wider frets (tall or short).

You just have to try it and see which fits your playing style. I use very proper, light-touch (classical guitar) technique, and I prefer small, narrow frets (with my action set extremely low) for this reason.

edit: Forgot to add, some people say that bigger frets give you a more metallic/bright tone. This might be true to a degree, but it depends a LOT more on your technique, wood choice, pickups, speaker size, even the frickin' cable than the fretwire.

 

[genocide roach]

tone and action. with smaller frets you can lower the strings closer to the fretboard. also the tone is more "woody" because there is less metal vibrating.

but mostly i like small frets because there is less clank when i slamm my fingers down. i love the banjo frets on my dingwall
~gR~